Sister Lynn Mousel, CHM, center, poses for a photo with Lindsay Steele and Dan Russo during a Catholic Messenger Conversations recording at KALA Studios on the St. Ambrose University Campus in Davenport earlier this month.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
In the latest Catholic Messenger Conversations podcast, Sister Lynn Mousel shared how she discovered her vocation to religious life with the Congregation of the Humility of Mary and what it has been like to integrate her Catholic faith into her career as a child psychiatrist. She also reflected on how parents can help foster good mental health for their children.
The Omaha, Nebraska, native said she first became acquainted with women living the consecrated lifestyle while attending medical school in her hometown. “I was just so impressed by the joy that they lived that life with. They were so encouraging to all of us, and to me, to develop my faith and relationship with God. (My) desire and interest in religious life really stemmed from that.”
Sister Mousel, now retired, worked as a child psychiatrist throughout most of her formation and continued to work in the field after taking final vows. Her faith guided her work. “I would pray a lot for my patients and ask for God’s guidance. Also, I think something that goes with the spirit of my congregation is really empowering people and wanting to give them the tools to live their fullest and best lives.”
Responding to a question about the stigma of mental illness, and the idea that some Catholics view it as a spiritual condition or weakness, Sister Mousel emphasized the complimentary nature of prayer and clinical treatment in recovery. “Prayer, by all means, is very powerful, but I also think we are blessed at this time. I think there’s less and less stigma (surrounding) mental health issues and seeking out help. Certainly, I think it’s very good to take advantage of that.”
Children today are experiencing unique challenges that must be addressed, she believes. AI chatbots, in particular, should be used with caution. “They kind of respond in a way that you want to hear. It’s nice to hear encouraging and positive things. On the other hand,” said Sister Mousel, “it just doesn’t encourage somebody to really reflect on and solve their issues on their own. Those are skills that need to be developed.”
Sister Mousel offered advice to parents who are unsure of whether to seek treatment for their child in times of distress. “If your child is talking at all about harming themselves, or has self-harming behaviors, I would go for help as soon as possible. Other than that… if there are changes in how they’re doing at school, changes in sleep or appetite or behaviors, if there’s some kind of change that you’re seeing that you’re concerned about, certainly I would not hesitate to seek out help.”
Listen to this and other Catholic Messenger Conversations podcasts at
https://www.catholicmessenger.net/podcasting/ or on your favorite podcasting app.
